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Lesser Antilles – Part 2: Saint Lucia, Martinique and Dominica

Tag Archives: Sanctuary Las Lajas

Hello everyone! I am again in Colombia, which I’m going to cross quickly to reach Panama in Central America.
I went from Cuenca to Guayaquil, where I met Eloisa, the lady known at the “Mitad Mitad del mundo”, the one of the cockroaches photo. From there I returned to Quito, where I saw Sandra, the girl met in the forest. After, I returned to Colombia , retracing the same road where one month ago I had 3 big searches in an hour. This time, however, nobody cared about me, maybe because not even a dekaro can be so stupid to import drugs in Colombia.

Guayaquil by night. It’s the first city in Ecuador by population, about 3 million and two hundred thousand.

Until a few years ago it was a pretty dangerous city without anything beautiful. Today is safer and has been modernized, especially the area along the Malecon, on the river, and the hill of Las Penas, where I took these photos.

The end of Malecon, south.

Boats at Playas, a beach about 60 km from Guayquil, where I went with Eloisa. So I met the Pacific Ocean, that, however, I shall see again soon in Central America.

In Playas nearly every boat has a painting of a saint or a Madonna for protection. And virtually all have the symbol of Barcelona football club. But there is one minor difference, the symbol of (true) Barcelona has the letters FCB. The fake has BSC. Indeed, the football team in Guayaquil has shamelessly plagiarized the Barcelona and, apart from the symbol, has even called its team: Barcelona! Unfortunately for them, however, they have failed in any way to plagiarize the rose of players and style of play, because for that… you need money!
To make everything even more absurd, the team of Quito said “oh well you did it? And then we steal the shirt!” That is exactly identical to that of Barcelona (Spain).

When the nets of fishermen came to shore, many birds came to eat the fish caught.

Fishermen pull the nets.

A dog runs back and forth trying in vain to drive away the birds.

As in the Hitchcock movie: The birds.

This bird was curious. Of a different species from the others and much smaller, with its call terrorized birds four times bigger, making them flee for taking the most delicious morsels. Even in front of me showed an unabashed fearlessness.

The entrance to Barrio La Ronda, in Quito. A street full of bars.

Quito at dusk. In the background the Panecillo, a hill with a large statue of a winged Virgin, always visible (in the picture isn’t yet lit).
I went up there with Sandra and we dined at a beautiful restaurant, with a window from which we could see all Quito at night, hundreds of thousands of little lights set over the hills.

Me under the statue of Panecillo. I am holding a glass of “canelazo”, a sort of hot cocktail with fruit and aguardiente. At the restaurant we had warm wine with a slice of orange inside.

Again in Colombia, in front of the spectacular Sanctuary Las Lajas, in Ipiales, on the border with Ecuador.

Many pilgrims come to visit the shrine, asking sometimes miracles or healings to the Virgin.

A street near the sanctuary.

Ipiales market.

A girl at market.

People at market.

Now I am again in Pasto, a city for some reason snubbed by the “Lonely Planet South America” guide, which mentions it only in a note on how to arrive in Ecuador. Instead, it is pretty and pleasant to stay, certainly much more than other cities to which are dedicated various pages.